Method and System to Conduct a Lottery Game Having a Televised Bonus Game Component

ABSTRACT

A system and related method for conducting a lottery game having a televised bonus game component calls for establishing a primary lottery game wherein players are issued lottery tickets. The primary lottery game has a bonus game component and the lottery tickets have a bonus game symbol thereon. For entry into the bonus game, the players are required to collect a predefined set of the bonus game symbols. Periodically, a bonus game drawing is conducted such that at least one of the players entered in the drawing is selected as a winner in each bonus game drawing and becomes eligible for further participation in the bonus game. The bonus game component is coordinated with a televised game show so that contestants in the televised game show are the selected winners from the bonus game drawings. A prize is awarded to winning contestants who competed in the televised game show.

PRIORITY CLAIM

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 62/062,172, filed Oct. 10, 2014.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to conducting second chance game events(e.g., bonus games) associated with a separate and independent primarylottery.

BACKGROUND

Lottery games have become a time honored method of raising revenue forstate and federal governments the world over. Traditional scratch-offand draw games have evolved over decades, supplying increasing revenueyear after year. However, after decades of growth, the sales curvesassociated with traditional games seem to be flattening out.Consequently, both lotteries and their service providers are presentlysearching for new methods of increasing sales and expanding the gamingexperience for players.

In one attempt to increase sales, United States lotteries have adoptedsecond chance games where the consumer can enter losing lottery ticketcodes at lottery Internet sites to play instant second chance games(also referred to as “bonus games”) or to enter second chance drawings.However, for the most part, second chance games usually involve prizesof a minor nature compared to the main lottery games and, althoughhaving some impact, are generally not recognized as a significantpromoter of sales of the primary game.

In an attempt to increase participation in the primary games, certainstate jurisdictions in the United States have implemented “player clubs”wherein participants register loosing lottery game tickets from multipleprimary games into an online player account. The losing tickets aretreated as entries into periodic drawings for secondary prizes. Forexample, Georgia sponsors a “PLAYERS CLUB” program wherein registeredparticipants enter non-winning Georgia Lottery instant tickets via anonline account into a second chance drawing program. Monthly drawingsare conducted for an array of different awards, such as a monthly grandcash prize, featured prizes, and “points” awards that may be redeemed ata number of participating sponsors.

U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2009-0117966 describes another method to enhance aplayer's experience in a lottery game, and thus encourage increasedparticipation in the game. According to this patent application, araffle number is assigned to each lottery ticket to be used in asubsequent raffle drawing. The raffle is conducted in conjunction withan independent third party event that is unrestrained by the lottery andawards a prize that is independent of the lottery. A typical third partyevent may be, for example, a televised contest or game show whereincontestants compete for an award. The lottery raffle prize is a functionof the winning contestant's award. For example, the raffle prize mayhave a value equivalent to the value of the contestant's award, or mayhave an increased value based on a multiplication of the winningcontestant's award. The lottery game component may have a theme based onthe game show, and the raffle drawing can be conducted in conjunctionwith the game show, and may be televised during or immediately after thegame show.

The lottery industry is thus continuously seeking new and creative gamescenarios, particularly in regards to second chance games, that provideincreased entertainment value to players, entice new players, and expandplay of lottery games into a multi-faceted gaming experience beyond themere purchase of a lottery ticket

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in thefollowing description, or may be obvious from the description, or may belearned through practice of the invention.

In a particular embodiment, a computer-implemented method is providedfor conducting a primary lottery game having a televised bonus gamecomponent (e.g., a second chance game) associated therewith. The methodincludes establishing, by one or more processors, the primary lotterygame wherein players are issued lottery tickets for play of the primarylottery game. The lottery tickets have a bonus game symbol associatedtherewith, for example by being printed on the game tickets. In anotherembodiment, the lottery ticket may provide instructions to the player asto how to acquire a unique associated bonus game symbol via a website.For initial entry into the bonus game component, the method requires theplayers to collect a predefined set of different ones of the bonus gamesymbols for entry into a bonus game drawing. The game method is notlimited to any particular grouping technique or scheme relative to thebonus game symbols. For example, sets may be defined by color, theme,number, location on a board or matrix, and so forth, so long as the setsare readily understood and identified to the players.

Bonus game drawings are periodically conducted such that at least one ofthe players entered into the drawing is selected as a winner in eachbonus game drawing and becomes eligible for further participation in thebonus game component.

The lottery game is coordinated with a televised game show so thatcontestants in the televised game show are the winners selected in thebonus game drawings, and a prize is awarded to winning contestants inthe televised game show.

In one embodiment, the contestants in the televised game show are drawnfrom an audience assigned to the televised game show, wherein theaudience, in whole or in part, is composed of winners from the bonusgame drawings. The primary lottery game may be conducted in a pluralityof different lottery jurisdictions, for example in a plurality ofdifferent states within the United States, with each jurisdictionconducting one or more respective bonus game drawings and having adefined minimum number of winners from their respective bonus gamedrawings present in the audience. The game show contestants may then berandomly drawn from the entirety of the audience.

In an alternate embodiment, each lottery jurisdiction may have a definedgroup of bonus game winners within the audience, wherein at least onegame show contestant is randomly drawn from each of the groups. Withthis embodiment, each lottery jurisdiction has at least one contestantin the show, which may promote at-home viewing of the show within eachrespective jurisdiction. In addition, each jurisdiction may be assignednon-contestant audience member spots to be awarded or distributed withintheir jurisdiction as they see fit. For example, this audience spots maybe randomly awarded to non-winning players of the bonus game component.The number of audience spots assigned to the jurisdictions may be afunction of the respective jurisdictional participation in the primarylottery game, wherein jurisdictions having greater sales in the primarylottery game receive a greater number of audience spots. Thus, in theseembodiments, the audience is composed of the non-contestant audiencemembers and winners from the bonus game drawings, and the contestants inthe televised game show are drawn from the bonus game winners present inthe audience.

In an embodiment of the bonus game component, the players may be awardeda defined number of entries in the bonus game drawing, for example 3entries, upon collecting the defined set of bonus game symbols. Thedefined number of entries may be multiplied as a function of amultiplier symbol earned by the player in a sub-component of the bonusgame (e.g., a sub-game or drawing), or “purchased” by the player, forexample with loyalty or club points earned by the player. In analternate embodiment, the multiplier symbol is earned by the player in aseparately conducted second primary lottery game that is linked to thefirst primary game through the multiplier symbol or other prize or oddsenhancement mechanism. This embodiment may serve to generate increasedsales in the second primary lottery game.

The method may include providing players with a bonus game board thattracks status of the bonus game symbols acquired by the player. Thisgame or status board may be a virtual game board provided to the playersvia a website accessible by the players. This embodiment lends itselfwell to promoting a game theme, such as a MONOPOLY game theme, whereinthe bonus game symbols identify sets of property locations on theMONOPOLY game board. The players may have individual player accountsthat are accessible by the players via the website, wherein the accountsinclude the player's virtual game board updated with a status of thebonus game symbols accumulated by the player, as well as any otheraspect of the player's involvement with the primary lottery game orbonus game.

It should be appreciated that the present game method is not limited toany particular type of first or second primary lottery games. In oneembodiment, the primary game is a lottery draw game (e.g., a “Pick-4” or“Powerball” game wherein players attempt to match selected playerindicia with four indicia randomly drawn from a field of indicia) andthe lottery game tickets are lottery draw tickets having at least oneentry into the draw game. These tickets may be purchased by players atan authorized lottery retail establishment, via the Internet, and soforth. The lottery tickets have one or more of the first bonus gamesymbols provided thereon (or otherwise associated therewith), such as anAce-of-spades, where the first game symbols are divided into groups ofplaying cards and the players are required to collect a predefined setof cards for initial entry into the bonus game.

If a second primary lottery game is implemented, for example to providemultiplier factors or other prize/odds enhancement symbols related tothe bonus game, such second primary game may also be a lottery game,including another independently conducted draw game with its own prizestructure. In a particular embodiment, however, the second primary gameis an instant ticket lottery game and the second game tickets areinstant lottery tickets having a second bonus game symbol providedthereon that is visually linked to a particular one of the predefinedsets of first bonus symbols. For example, the bonus symbol may be a “3×multiplier for

”, wherein a player's initial entry into the bonus game with aparticular predefined set of spades is enhanced by a factor of three(e.g., an initial 10 entries becomes 30 entries).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full and enabling description of the present invention is providedherein, with reference to particular embodiments depicted in theattached drawings and described below. Certain of the drawings andrelated description include depictions or reference to characters,images, trademarks, logos, and the like, associated with the well-knownboard game MONOPOLY. “MONOPLOY” and the related graphics in the drawings(including all names, characters, images, trademarks and logos) areprotected by trademark, copyrights, and other Intellectual Propertyrights owned by Hasbro.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustration of a system and method with componentsfor primary lottery games and a bonus game in accordance with principalsof the invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustration of an alternative embodiment of asystem and method in accordance with aspects of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a diagram view particularly illustrating coordination of thebonus game component with a televised game show;

FIG. 4 is an alternate embodiment of a bonus game component coordinatedwith the televised game show;

FIG. 5A is an illustration of game components , including lotterytickets and game board, that may be used in an embodiment in accordancewith the invention;

FIGS. 5B through 5E are illustrations of additional game components thatmay be used with the embodiment of FIG. 5A; and

FIG. 6 is a block diagram view of a computer implemented system that maybe used to practice the method and system of the present invention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the inventivemethods and systems, one or more examples of which are illustrated inthe drawings. Each embodiment is presented by way of explanation of theinvention, and not as a limitation of the invention. For example,features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be usedwith another embodiment to yield still a further embodiment. It isintended that the present invention include these and othermodifications and variations as come within the scope and spirit of theinvention.

In general, the present disclosure is directed to computer implementedmethods and systems for conducting a second chance or bonus gamecomponent of a primary lottery game that is coordinated with a televisedgame show. For sake of example only, the following discussion relates toembodiments of the invention drawn to primary lottery games and bonusgames sponsored by state or other jurisdictional authorities. It shouldbe appreciated, however, that the system and method are just asapplicable to a bonus game component linked to any manner of primarygames, such as multiple primary games conducted within a gamingestablishment (e.g., a casino) for patrons of such establishment.

As their name implies, second chance or bonus games are a means for agame player to win a prize with an apparent losing ticket from aninitial or primary game. Traditionally, these bonus games are linked tonon-winning instant (scratch-off) game tickets, and certain embodimentsdescribed herein relate to this scenario. It should be appreciated,however, that the present method and system are not limited to anyparticular type of primary lottery game, and may include, for example, aprimary draw-type lottery game. In addition, the invention is notlimited to non-winning tickets in the primary lottery game. Winningtickets may also be entered into the bonus game component.

Referring to FIG. 1, aspects of a game method and associatedimplementing system 100 are illustrated. The method and system arehosted by a gaming or lottery authority (e.g., a sponsoring state orother jurisdictional entity) through a host controller 10, which may beany hardware/software architecture necessary for conducting the games ina given jurisdictional area. A first primary game 12 (“Primary LotteryGame A”) is depicted as a lottery draw game wherein players are issuedfirst game tickets or entries 14 in the form of lottery tickets for playof the lottery draw game in a conventional manner. For example, thelottery tickets 14 include any manner of game indicia 16, 18 for play ofthe draw game, including price of the ticket, the player's game numbers,bar codes, security features, and the like. The type or manner of gameindicia is not limiting factor of the invention and includes any indicianecessary or desired to conduct the first primary game 12.

It should be readily appreciated that the gaming authority may employ,contract with, or otherwise cooperate with any other party or entity toimplement the present method embodiments on behalf of the gamingauthority, such as a game provider that prints lottery tickets orrenders information/database management services to the gamingauthority.

A bonus game 20 is established that is played separate from the firstprimary game 12. The bonus game 20 has its own set of rules and prizestructure and is generally conducted completely independent of theprimary lottery game. Various types of second chance or bonus games 20are well known in the lottery industry, and any one or combination ofthese games may be utilized in the present invention. In the embodimentdepicted in FIG. 1, the bonus game 20 is referenced as a “drawing” typeof game (i.e., a raffle). Players are granted entries or tickets into arandom drawing wherein, for each drawing, at least one winningselections is drawn from the pool of entries.

Still referring to the embodiment of FIG. 1, first bonus game symbols 30are associated with the lottery game tickets 14, for example by beingprinted on the game tickets as depicted in FIG. 1. In anotherembodiment, the game tickets 14 may provide instructions to the playeras to how to acquire a unique associated bonus game symbol 30 that isrevealed to the player via a website. The players are required tocollect a predefined set or group (the terms “sets” and “groups” areused interchangeably herein) of different ones of the bonus game symbols30 before receiving one or more initial entries into the bonus game 20.A predefined set includes a set of one game symbol 30 or a set of aplurality of game symbols 30. As mentioned, the method is not limited toany particular grouping technique or scheme. For example, sets may bedefined by color, theme, number, location on a board or matrix, and soforth, so long as the sets are readily understood and identified to theplayers. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the predefined sets 32 are facecards from a conventional playing deck. Group A corresponds to: A

, K

, Q

, and J

. Group B corresponds to: A

, K

, Q

, and J

. Group C corresponds to: A♡, K♡, Q♡, and J♡. Group D corresponds to:A♦, K♦, Q♦, and J♦. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, in order to qualify forplay of the bonus game 20, a player would need to satisfy any one ofthese groups with the game symbols 30 they have accumulated frompurchase of first game tickets 14.

The game symbols 30 on the game tickets 14 of FIG. 1 are the A

and K♦, respectively. It should be appreciated that the game symbols 30could be cards or items that are not within any of the predefined groups32. For example, the game symbols 30 on game tickets 14 may be 10

or 8

, which are not face cards belonging to any one of the predefined groups32 and thus have no value in the bonus game 20.

If the one of the groups 32 are satisfied by the player's accumulationof game symbols 30, then the player is entered into the bonus game 20and is granted a defined number of entries into the bonus game drawing.For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the player is granted 10entries into the bonus game drawing 20 for each group 32 collected bythe player.

The players may enter their primary lottery game tickets 14 into thebonus game via a website maintained by (or for) the gaming authority. Itis not a requirement that only non-winning tickets 14 can be entered.For example, all tickets 14 from the primary lottery game may be played,including winning tickets. The tickets are “entered” in the sense thateach game ticket or entry 14 is uniquely identified by a code or othermeans that the player provides to the game authority or administrator,for example via a website maintained by the game authority or in personat an authorized game or lottery location. Once verified, the ticket 14is entered into the bonus game 20 and the game symbol 30 associated witheach tickets are recorded or credited in the player's account.

As discussed above, a particular embodiment of the primary lottery gamemay include the linking of a second primary lottery game to enhance theplayer's odds of success or prize in the bonus game. This embodiment isalso illustrated in FIG. 1, wherein a second primary game 22 (“PrimaryLottery Game B”) is established wherein players are issued second gametickets or entries 24 for play of the second primary game. In theembodiment depicted in FIG. 1, the second primary game 22 is aconventional instant scratch-off lottery game wherein players are issuedsecond game tickets 24 in the form of conventional scratch-off lotterytickets having any manner of game indicia 26, 28 for play of the instantgames, including price of the ticket, game symbols underlying ascratch-off coating, bar codes, security features, and the like.Conventional lottery scratch-off tickets are well known in the art andneed not be described in detail herein.

The second game tickets 24 are “linked” to the bonus game 20 for thefirst primary game 22 such that players increase their chance of successin the bonus game 20 by entering the second game tickets 24 (winning ornon-winning) into the bonus game 20. The primary games 12, 22 and bonusgame 20 are conducted such that (i) play of the first primary game 12does not require play of the bonus game 20 or the second primary game22, (ii) play of the second primary game 22 does not require play of thefirst primary game 12 or the bonus game 20, and (iii) play of the bonusgame 20 requires play of the first primary game 12 but not the secondprimary game 22. Thus, the gate to the bonus game 20 is play of thefirst primary game 12. The player cannot enter the bonus game 20 simplyby playing the second primary game 22. Play of the second primary game22 may, however, increases the player's likelihood of success or enhancea prize in the bonus game 20 by various means. For example, in oneembodiment described in greater detail below, entry of game tickets 24from the second primary game 22 may increase the number entries a playeris granted in the bonus draw game 20, or increase a prize awarded in thebonus game 20, or increase the number of bonus games 20 the player iseligible to play, and so forth.

A second type of bonus game symbol 34 is associated with (e.g., printedon or accessible via a website) on the second game tickets 24. Thesecond bonus game symbols 34 are visually linked to a particular one ofthe predefined groupings 32 of first bonus symbols to the extent that aplayer can readily visually associate the symbol 34 with a particulargroup 32. For example, referring to the embodiment of FIG. 1, the secondbonus game symbols 34 printed on the second game tickets 24 are “

3×” and “

4×”, respectively. A player can readily appreciate that “

3×” is a multiplier (factor of 3) associated with the Group A, and that“

4×” is a multiplier (factor of 4) associated with Group B.

The player's initial entry into the bonus game 20 (granted uponaccumulation of one or more of the predefined sets 32 of first bonusgame symbols) may be enhanced by one or more of the second bonus gamesymbols 34 accumulated by the player that are linked to the respectivepredefined set 32 of first bonus game symbols 30. For example, referringto FIG. 1, the bonus game 20 is a drawing event wherein a “winner” israndomly selected from a pool of entries, the winner receiving a prizeaward of some value. The player is granted 10 initial entries into thebonus game drawing upon accumulation of one of the predefined sets 32 offirst bonus game symbols 30. The player has also accumulated a 3×multiplier for Group A and a 4× multiplier for Group B. If the playersatisfies Group A, then the 10 initial entries are increased to 30. Ifthe player satisfies Group B, then the 10 initial entries are increasedto 40.

In certain embodiments, the player can accumulate multiple sets 32 ofbonus game symbols between bonus game drawings, wherein the player'snumber of entries in the next scheduled bonus game 20 is the cumulativetotal from all of the accumulated sets. For example, if the playeraccumulates Group A and Group B, then he is granted 20 initial entriesin the bonus game 20. These initial entries may be increased by anysecond bonus game symbols 34 acquired by the player that relate to GroupA or Group B.

The embodiment of a multiplier that increases the player's odds ofwinning is only one example of an enhancement to play of the bonus game20. In another embodiment, the second bonus game symbol 34 may increasethe prize award in the bonus game 20 resulting from the player becominga winning contestant in the televised game show. For example, amultiplier of 3× may apply to a prize award from the game show of$10,000, resulting in a final prize of $30,000. In still anotherembodiment, the second bonus game symbol 34 may identify an “add-on”prize that is in addition to the bonus game entries or bonus game price,such as a $500 shopping spree, and so forth. It should be appreciatedthat the type of enhancement provided by the second bonus game symbols34 can vary within the scope and spirit of the invention.

FIG. 2 depicts and embodiment 100 of a method and associated system thatis similar in many respects to the embodiment of FIG. 1. In thisembodiment, however, qualification for entry into the bonus game 20 onlyrequires one particular bonus game symbol 30. In other words, thepredefined sets 32 include one or more game symbols 30. For example, theplayer has accumulated three first game symbols 30 from the firstprimary lottery game 12:

A, ♦K, and ♦5. The

A entitles the player to 1 entry in the bonus game 20, and the ♦Kentitles the player to 10 entries in the bonus game. The ♦5 does notmatch one of the predefined sets 32 and has no value in the bonus game20. As with the embodiment of FIG. 1, the player can accumulate multiplesets 32 between bonus games, wherein the player's entries in the nextscheduled bonus game 20 is the cumulative total from all of theaccumulated sets.

Referring to FIG. 3, the bonus game component is coordinated with atelevised game show 68 wherein contestants compete in one or more gamesof skill or chance to win a prize. It should be appreciated that theparticular type of televised game or contest is not a limiting featureof the invention so long as at least one of the contestants in thetelevised game show is a selected winner from the bonus game drawings.The bonus game is coordinated with the game show to the extent that thegame show is essentially the venue in which the bonus game is finallyconcluded. The televised game show may be produced with the assistanceof the gaming authority, game provider, or any other entity associatedwith the primary lottery game. For example, on behalf of one or morelottery jurisdictions, a game provider (e.g., provides the primarylottery game to multiple jurisdictions) may be partnered with a gameshow producer on a local or national level, and the game show may betelevised at a local or national level. The game provider may havein-house production capabilities for producing the game show.

Referring again to the embodiment of FIG. 3, three separate lotteryjurisdictions 50 (Jurisdiction A), 52 (Jurisdiction B), and 54(Jurisdiction C) are depicted. These jurisdictions 50-54 may be multiplestates, or defined geographical regions within a single state, orregions falling within the same governmental gaming regulations, orregions defined solely by the gaming provider or gaming authority, andso forth. Each jurisdiction 50-52 conducts its own primary lottery game12 and bonus game drawings 20, as discussed above. Thus, eachjurisdiction 50, 52, and 54 generates a respective pool 56, 58, 60 ofplayers entered into a bonus game drawing by collecting a defined set ofthe bonus game symbols 30, which places the player in the bonus gamedrawing.

Periodically, the gaming authority, game provider, or combination ofboth conducts a bonus game drawing wherein one or more winners 62, 64,66 are selected (e.g., randomly drawn) from the pools 56, 58, 60. Forexample, in the embodiment of FIG. 3, multiple winners from jurisdiction“A” define a group of “A” winners 62 that are eligible to becomecontestants in the televised game show. Likewise, multiple winners fromjurisdictions “B” and “C” are selected and define groups of winners 64and 66, respectively, which are eligible to become contestants in thegame show. At least one bonus game drawing is conducted in eachjurisdiction before each of the televised game shows.

Each jurisdiction may be assigned a minimum number of winners in thegroups 62, 64, and 66 (e.g. 100 hundred winners from each jurisdiction).Other factors may warrant assigning certain of the jurisdictions 50, 52,and 54 a greater number of winners, such as volume of participation byplayers within the jurisdiction that participated in the primary game,geographic size of the jurisdiction, revenue generated in thejurisdiction, and so forth. It should be understood that a respectivepool 56, 58, and 60, or group of winners 62, 64, 66, may be one or moreplayers.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the contestants 72 in the televised gameshow are drawn from an audience 70 assigned to the show. As indicated bythe directional arrows in FIG. 3, the audience is, in whole or in part,composed of the groups of winners 62, 64, and 66 from the bonus gamedrawings. The game show contestants 72 may then be randomly drawn fromthe entirety of the audience 70 such that no one jurisdiction isguaranteed a contestant 72 in the game show.

Still referring to FIG. 3, in an alternate embodiment, the groups ofwinners 62, 64, and 66 are still assigned to the audience 70. However,at least one game show contestant 72 is then randomly selected from eachgroup 62, 64, 66 such that each participating jurisdiction has at leastone contestant in the show. In this embodiment, the identity of theparticular groups 62, 64, and 66 may be maintained in the audience. Forexample, each group may have an assigned seating section, or may wearrespective identifying clothing, or the like. With this embodiment, eachjurisdiction has at least one contestant in the show, which may promoteat-home viewing of the show within each respective jurisdiction.

FIG. 4 depicts an embodiment, wherein each jurisdiction again generatesa group of winners 62, 64, and 66 from the bonus draw game. From each ofthese groups 62, 64, and 66, at least one contestant 74, 76, and 78 israndomly selected to become contestants 72 in the game show 68. Thisselection process may be done completely outside of and before the gameshow, and may be conducted by a drawing held by the gamingauthority/game provider in a separate event.

In addition, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, each jurisdiction may beassigned non-contestant audience member spots 80, 82 to be awarded ordistributed within their jurisdiction. For example, these audience spots80, 82 may be randomly awarded to non-winning players of the bonus gamecomponent. The number of audience spots 80, 82 assigned to thejurisdictions may be a function of the respective jurisdictionalparticipation in the primary lottery game, wherein jurisdictions havinggreater sales in the primary lottery game receive a greater number ofaudience spots 80, 82. Thus, in the embodiment of FIG. 3, the audience70 is composed of the non-contestant audience members 80, 82 and winners74, 76, from the bonus game drawings, and the contestants in thetelevised game show are drawn from the bonus game winners present in theaudience. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the audience 70 is composed ofthe non-contestant audience members 80, 82, and the contestants in thegame show are pre-selected.

In certain embodiments, the players are provided with a bonus game board36 that tracks the first bonus game symbols 30 and second bonus gamesymbols 34 acquired by the player. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the gameboard 36 is a tabular compilation wherein positions in the table aremarked or highlighted with the player's accumulated symbols, asindicated by the arrows in FIG. 1. It should be appreciated that anymanner or configuration of game board 36 may be designed based on thetype of primary and secondary games 12, 22, and bonus game 20.

In a particular embodiment, the game board 36 may be a virtual boardaccessed by the player via a website that automatically updates andvisually associates the second bonus game symbols 34 with theirrespective predefined set 32 of first bonus game symbols 30, as inFIG. 1. For example, individual players may establish a respective bonusgame account via the website, wherein each player is shown their ownindividualized game board 36 that is updated with a status of the firstbonus game symbols 30 and second bonus game symbols 34 accumulated bythe player. In an alternate embodiment, players may be provided with a“hard” game board (e.g. printed on paper or card stock) or “electronic”game board (e.g., application of a wireless device) that the playerupdates as the games progress.

FIGS. 5A through 5E relate to an embodiment of a game method and systemin accordance with aspects of the invention having a particular gametheme. Referring to FIG. 5A, a primary lottery game ticket 14 isembodied as a lottery ticket for a lottery draw game. The ticket 14includes the player's draw numbers, as well as any other indicianecessary to conduct the first primary game. The ticket 14 includesindicia identifying a MONOPOLY game theme. In accordance with the gametheme, the ticket 14 includes a first bonus game symbol 30 depicted asone of the real estate properties 40 from a conventional MONOPOLY boardgame, in this case the widely recognized “Boardwalk” property. Thus,with this embodiment, the first bonus game symbols 30 identify sets ofproperty locations on the MONOPOLY game board. Instructions are alsoprovided on the ticket 14 for the player to enter the ticket 14 into thebonus game 20. For example, the player is directed to access a lotterywebsite at the web address printed on the ticket via any suitableInternet enabled device 38 (e.g., a computer, smart phone, or the like).

As mentioned above, the bonus game 20 may be administered through aplayers' club, wherein players establish an individual accountmaintained by the lottery authority for the purpose of entering,tracking, and qualifying for and playing the bonus games. The playersaccess their account via an Internet enabled device at the websiteaddress provided on the ticket 14. Each player may have an individualaccount number.

FIG. 5B is a screen shot illustrating entry of the primary lottery gameticket 14 and, if utilized, a secondary primary game ticket 24 into thebonus game. At window 48, the player is instructed to enter the drawticket club number 44 (or other unique identifying information, such asa serial number or the like) from the ticket 14 of FIG. 5A. At window50, the player is instructed to enter identifying information from thescratch-off ticket 24 of FIG. 5A, such as the serial number 25. A gameboard 36 is also provided, which is updated with first game symbols 30and, if utilized, second game symbols 34 upon entry and verification ofthe respective game tickets 14, 22.

FIG. 5C is an example of a screen shot 52 provided to the player thattracks and updates the player's accumulation of bonus game symbols. Forexample, the screen shot 52 informs the particular player that they haveaccumulated the “Park Place” and “Boardwalk” property locations.

As mentioned above, the bonus game may include linking of a secondprimary game to the bonus game. In this regard, referring to FIG. 5A,the second game ticket 24 is embodied as an instant lottery scratch-offticket having any manner of game indicia 26 relating to the overallMONOPLY game theme. With this embodiment, however, the second bonus gamesymbol is not provided directly on the ticket 24. The player is providedinstructions 46 on the ticket 24 to access the bonus game website, atwhich time the player will be provided the associated second bonus gamesymbol. For example, referring to FIG. 5D, the player may be provided ascreen shot 54 identifying the second game symbol 34 that is linked tothe bonus game. In the depicted embodiment, the second game symbol 34 isa house or hotel structure 42 built on one of the property locations onthe MONOPOLY game board, such as “one hotel on Boardwalk” (as shown inFIG. 5D) or “two houses on Park Place”, and so forth. As with theconventional MONOPOLY game, a greater number of house or hotelstructures 42 associated with a property increases the location's value.For purposes of the bonus game 20, the structures 42 increase the numberof entries into the bonus game 20 when the predefined set of propertylocations is completed by the player. For example, the screen shot 56 ofFIG. 5E depicts the bonus game board 36 as a conventional MONOPLY gameboard with the player's accumulation of properties highlighted (thefirst bonus game symbols equating to particular property locations). Thescreen shot 56 also informs the player that they have satisfied one ofthe predefined sets 32 of first bonus game symbols (e.g., all of thedark blue properties). The enhancement value provided by the second gamesymbol 34 (FIG. 5D) associated with the particular set 32 of gamesymbols is a multiplier of 3× attached to the two house structures 42.Thus, the initial award of ten entries into the bonus game foraccumulating Park Place and Boardwalk from the first primary lotterygame is multiplied by a factor of 3 to grant the player thirty entriesinto the bonus game, as depicted in FIG. 5E.

Referring to the figures in general, the present invention alsoencompasses a game system that embodies many of the methodology aspectsdiscussed above.

Embodiments of the methods and systems disclosed herein may be executedby one or more suitable networked lottery gaming systems. Such system(s)may comprise one or more computing devices adapted to perform one ormore embodiments of the methods disclosed herein. Such gaming systemsand computing devices may access one or more computer-readable mediathat embody computer-readable instructions which, when executed by atleast one computer, cause the computer(s) to implement one or moreembodiments of the methods of the present subject matter. Additionallyor alternatively, the computing device(s) may comprise circuitry thatrenders the device(s) operative to implement one or more of the methodsof the present subject matter. Furthermore, components of thepresently-disclosed technology may be implemented using one or morecomputer-readable media.

Any suitable computer-readable medium or media may be used to implementor practice the presently-disclosed subject matter, including, but notlimited to, diskettes, drives, and other magnetic-based storage media,optical storage media, including disks (including CD-ROMS, DVD-ROMS, andvariants thereof), flash, RAM, ROM, and other memory devices, and thelike.

The present disclosure also makes reference to the transmission ofcommunicated data over one or more communications networks. It should beappreciated that network communications can comprise sending and/orreceiving information over one or more networks of various forms. Forexample, a network can comprise a dial-in network, a local area network(LAN), wide area network (WAN), public switched telephone network(PSTN), the Internet, intranet or other type(s) of networks. A networkmay comprise any number and/or combination of hard-wired, wireless, orother communication links.

FIG. 6 is a diagram view of a representative gaming system 200 that maybe used to practice aspects of the bonus game component in accordancewith the present invention. The exemplary system 200 includes a centralsystem 122 with a central controller 123 administered by a game providerthat cooperates with one or more lottery jurisdictions to providelottery products and services. It should be readily appreciated that thecentral controller 123 may include an integrated server, or the hostcentral system 122 may include any manner of periphery server or otherhardware structure. The host computer system 122 is configured to carryout the funding and gaming functions associated with the first andsecond primary games and bonus game program described herein.

The host central computer system 122 may be a single networked computer,or a series of interconnected computers having access to the network 110via a gateway or other known networking system. Generally, the centralcontroller 123 configured to communicate with, manage, execute andcontrol individual terminal units 104 within the lottery jurisdiction,and to interface with the network enabled devices 116 a, 116 b, and 116c of the players for entry into and play of the bonus games, asdescribed herein. The central controller 123 may include a memory forstoring gaming procedures and routines, a microprocessor (MP) forexecuting the stored programs, a random access memory (RAM) and aninput/output (I/O) bus. These devices may be multiplexed together via acommon bus, or may each be directly connected via dedicatedcommunications lines, depending on the needs of the system 100.

The central controller 123 may be directly or indirectly connectedthrough the I/O bus to any manner of peripheral devices such as storagedevices, wireless adaptors, printers, and the like. In addition, adatabase (DB) may be communicatively connected to the central controller123 and provide a data repository for the storage and correlation ofinformation gathered from the individual terminal units 104 or devices116. The information stored within the database may be informationrelating to individual players, games, or game card specificinformation.

Aspects of present system and method call for the players to interfacewith the host central computer system 122. This may be done directly, asillustrated in FIG. 6, or indirectly via the individual lotteryjurisdiction servers 106. For example, the players may be provided witha website address printed on the first or second primary game tickets,whereby the player enters their game ticket into the bonus game programby accessing the central computer system 122 directly via a networkenabled device 116 c (for example, an Internet enabled PC 116 a, orsmart phone/mobile device 116 b). Depending on the requirements of howthe bonus games are actually conducted, the player may be directed todownload gaming software to their PC or other network-enabled devicethat enables the player to perform all functions needed to participatein the second chance games. The network enabled devices 116 may bedirectly connected to the network 110 through a plurality of directnetwork links 118, thereby eliminating the need for the bus, router, orother networking equipment. The devices 116 are configured to executeone or more computer programs, such as an Internet browser program, toallow users to interact with the central computer system 122, andpreferably include a visual display such as a monitor or screen.Alternatively, the visual display may be incorporated into a web-browserconfigured to display multimedia content. For instance, a player mayaccess the system 122 remotely via an Internet web-browser on playerdevice 116.

In one embodiment, the player's network enabled device may be located ata point of sale location for the first or second primary game lotterytickets, and may even be a part of the terminals 104. In thisembodiment, a player may interact with the system 122 immediately afterpurchasing or receiving a primary game ticket.

Each lottery jurisdiction may be differently configured for purposes ofcarrying out various lottery functions within its borders. For purposesof discussion, each lottery jurisdiction may be considered as a node.The lottery jurisdiction nodes 120, in turn, may be directly connectedand/or multiplexed to the network 110 via direct network links. Further,the direct network links may be secure communications channelsphysically hardened against tampering and/or the communications may beencrypted to prevent unauthorized access to information transmittedthereon.

With each lottery jurisdiction, a plurality of terminal units 104 may beprovided at multiple locations and connected with a LAN or WAN. Further,the LAN and/or WAN connecting each of the terminal units 104 may includeone or more separate and secure buses 108, routers 112, web servers 106,gateways and other networking equipment to provide continuous and/orredundant connectivity to the network 110. As discussed above, thenetwork 110 may be communicatively connected to central host computers122 and/or respective central controllers as well as associateddatabases to allow for implementation, storage, tracking and analysis ofgaming and other features. The network 110 may also be connected toexternal systems (e.g., Facebook™, Twitter™, etc.) for differentpurposes. For example, the players may be notified through theseexternal systems as to whether or not they won or lost in the primary orsecond chance games.

The terminal units 104 may be configured with any manner of hardware andsoftware functionality to accept a player's entry and wager into aprimary game, such as an on-line game or purchase of an instant gameticket. The terminal units 104 may also be configured for redeeming aplayer's game ticket after completion of the primary game, or completionof the second chance game of the player's choice. For example, theterminals may issue a credit slip that the player uses to collect theirprize award at an establishment's cashier or an authorized lotteryredemption center.

The terminals 104 may include any conventional feature known to thoseskilled in the art related to lottery terminals. The terminal 14includes features and functionality to allow a player or retail clerk toenter the information required to participate in the lottery game. Anexemplary terminal 14 includes a housing, one or more input devices,which may be a control panel having input keys, a display, a value inputdevice such as a card reader, a play slip or ticket reader, and a ticketprinter. The play slip reader is typically configured to read userselection marks, bar codes, magnetically stored information, or anyother desired input information. Control panel input keys allow theplayer or retail clerk to select the game to be played, input the valueto be wagered, manually enter selected lottery characters, and input anyother information necessary to play the lottery game. The terminal mayinclude a display which may be an LCD, a CRT, or touch-screen capable ofreceiving and displaying information related to the game. The valueinput device may include any device that can accept value or a wagerfrom a customer, such as a card reader or an optical currency collector.The value input device may be integrated with external devices, such asa cash register or other retail terminals, to exchange informationnecessary to receive and record the wagering transaction. The gameticket printer may be used to print or otherwise encode game ticketswith information selected or required to play the lottery game. Theprinter may provide game tickets that reflect a player's selection, orcomplete lottery slips if the selection was generated automatically bythe terminal. It should be readily appreciated that particularembodiments of terminals 14 are not meant as a limitation of theinvention, and that embodiments of the present invention may encompassany configuration of features and functionality to allow initiation andplaying of a lottery game.

It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations may be made present invention withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the invention. It is intendedthat the present invention include such modifications and variations ascome within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for conducting alottery game having a televised bonus game component, comprising:establishing, by one or more processors, a primary lottery game whereinplayers are issued lottery tickets for play of the primary lottery game,the primary lottery game having a bonus game component and the lotterytickets having a bonus game symbol thereon; for entry into the bonusgame, requiring the players to collect a predefined set of differentones of the bonus game symbols; periodically conducting bonus gamedrawings such that at least one of the players entered into the bonusgame is selected as a winner in each bonus game drawing and becomeseligible for further participation in the bonus game; coordinating witha televised game show so that contestants in the televised game show areselected from the winners of the bonus game drawings; and awarding aprize to winning contestants who competed in the televised game show. 2.The method as in claim 2, wherein the contestants in the televised gameshow are drawn from an audience assigned to the televised game show,wherein the audience is composed of the winners from the bonus gamedrawings.
 3. The method as in claim 2, wherein the primary lottery gameis conducted in a plurality of different lottery jurisdictions, eachjurisdiction conducting a respective bonus game drawing and having adefined minimum number of winners from their respective bonus gamedrawing present in the audience, and the contestants are randomly drawnfrom the entirety of the audience.
 4. The method as in claim 2, whereinthe primary lottery game is conducted in a plurality of differentlottery jurisdictions, each jurisdiction conducting a respective bonusgame drawing and having a group of a defined minimum number of winnersfrom their respective bonus game drawing present in the audience, and atleast one of the contestants is randomly drawn from each of the groups.5. The method as in claim 1, wherein the primary lottery game isconducted in a plurality of different lottery jurisdictions, eachjurisdiction conducting a respective bonus game drawing and having agroup of a defined minimum number of winners from their respective bonusgame drawing, wherein at least one of the contestants is randomlyselected from each of the groups such that at least one contestant isselected from each jurisdiction.
 6. The method as in claim 5, whereinthe jurisdictions are assigned non-contestant audience member spots as afunction of their respective jurisdictional participation in the primarylottery game.
 7. The method as in claim 1, wherein the televised gameshow has an audience and the jurisdictions are assigned non-contestantaudience member spots as a function of their respective participation inthe primary lottery game.
 8. The method as in claim 8, wherein theaudience is composed of the non-contestant audience members and winnersfrom the bonus game drawings, and the contestants in the televised gameshow are drawn from the winners from the bonus game drawings present inthe audience.
 9. The method as in claim 1, wherein the players areawarded a defined number of entries in the bonus game drawing uponcollecting the predefined set of bonus game symbols, the number ofentries being multiplied as a function of a multiplier symbol earned bythe player.
 10. The method as in claim 9, wherein the multiplier symbolis earned by the player in a second primary lottery game.
 11. The methodas in claim 1, further comprising providing players with a bonus gameboard that tracks status of the bonus game symbols acquired by theplayer.
 12. The method as in claim 11, wherein the bonus game board hasa MONOPOLY game theme, the bonus game symbols identifying sets ofproperty locations on the MONOPOLY game board.
 13. The method as inclaim 12, wherein the bonus game board is a virtual game board providedto the players via a website accessible by the players.
 14. The methodas in claim 13, further comprising establishing individual playeraccounts that are accessible by the players via the website, theaccounts including the player's virtual game board updated with a statusof the bonus game symbols accumulated by the player.